18GA/2.1

 

Caritas Internationalis General Assembly

Opening Session, Sunday 3 June 2007

Opening Speech by Denis Viénot

 

 

            Dear Friends,

 

We are gathered here in this Synod Hall, a place that is full of symbols, at the heart of Vatican City, the heart of the Universal Church. I am particularly glad to welcome you in this hall where certain synods traditionally take place, as well as the meetings of Cardinals before the conclave to elect the Pope, and above all in January 2006, the Cor Unum Conference on Charity just before publication of Deus Caritas Est.

            My first thoughts go to our former President, Monsignor Yoanna Fouad El Hage, whom we elected four years ago, and who passed away in May 2005. Many of us attended his funeral in Tripoli. On arriving in this Muslim city with a Sunni majority, the extraordinary radiance of this man could be felt in the streets where his portrait was on display everywhere, dressed in the splendid robes of a Maronite Archbishop.

            We worked together within the context of Caritas Lebanon which, with its thousands of volunteers,  he wished to engage in the promotion and development of all men and women despite the state of urgency arising from the war. The President we first elected in 1999 left us the legacy of his wealth of pastoral expertise in the service of all Caritas. A decisive actor in the strategic planning process of Caritas Internationalis, with wisdom, insight and humour, he always spurred us towards new commitments in the fields of advocacy, peace building and relations with the Holy See. These commitments are rooted in the rich soil of Charity, which Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical, Deus Caritas Est,  highlights so well. I have continued these commitments set in motion by Monsignor Fouad El-Hage with a strong will to develop and adapt them to a changing world. During the six years he headed our Confederation, Msgr El-Hage opened a path towards a policy that encouraged restoration of peace and reconciliation with inter-religious dialogue. Consequently, I know that he would have been very happy that the theme chosen for this General Assembly is “Witnesses of charity, builders of peace”.

            The resolution of conflicts and establishment of lasting peace are among the greatest challenges we face in today’s world. Our network is determined to incorporate the restoration of peace and reconciliation in all its emergency, development and social service actions. This entails a global approach aimed at eliminating poverty whilst tackling the deep causes of ethnic and religious divisions. The theme of peace is inseparable from advocacy action because we must lobby and act for the establishment of political and economic reforms that truly benefit the poor around the world.

 

 

 

 

 

            In this context, our General Assembly proposes four objectives:

 

- Draw up and approve our strategic priorities. Proposals include:

·        intervention in emergency situations and developing coordinated efforts in a spirit of partnership

·         promoting integral human development

·        participating in peace building

·        adapting structures, operating methods and financing

-  Vote for a budget plan

-  Elect a President, Secretary General and a Treasurer

- Finally, ratify the Presidents of regions, the members of the Bureau and the new members of the Executive Committee.

 

            These objectives will result in changes, new or renewed issues, and working methods to be created, for example regarding advocacy and communications. But our financial strategy also envisages a greater role for the regions. I would like to sum up the work we have to carry out during this week in one word:  challenge.

            Indeed, this Assembly represents a challenge: to create a strategic framework whilst keeping its financing in mind, which will lead to changes that will be implemented by a new team.

                       

***

 

            This opening of our General Assembly is an opportunity to dwell on two particular matters. One regards the G8 Summit, and the other Palestine, which we will look at more briefly as it will be dealt with in the President’s Report.

 

            This week, from 6 to 8 June, Germany is organising the G8 summit.

            Caritas and Cidse have joined forces on a joint campaign for this meeting.

            Caritas is particularly attentive to the Millennium Development Goals:

·        reduction of poverty and hunger

·        sexual equality and the independence of women

·        the fight against AIDS, malaria and other diseases

·        the setting up of a global development partnership.

Yet, whilst the 2006 United Nations report indicates some progress, it highlights shortcomings. For example:

  • The eradication of poverty and hunger reports overall improvement, but thanks to Asia.
  • Primary education is more widespread, but girls are still lagging behind.
  • Equality of men and women is increasing on the job market and amongst political leaders, but men continue to predominate.
  • The improvement of maternal healthcare continues with an increase in the number of midwifes, but it is still insufficient, especially in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
  • The fight against AIDS is progressing thanks to prevention efforts but the number of deaths and infections is rising.
  • Improved access to potable water is not taking place in rural areas.
  • 14% of the world’s people have access to the internet, 50% in developed countries, 7% in intermediate countries and less than 1% in developing countries.

 

In our latest press release regarding the G8 summit we called for:

  • Publication of an agenda to implement the development aid pledges made by countries, which actually does amount to 0.51% of GDP by 2010, and 0.70% later on.
  • The management of aid should ensure that it responds to poor communities’ essential needs, including healthcare and education.
  • Debt cancellation and multilateral aid should be organised so that are not conditional on unacceptable obligations. This means having transparent and predictable of aid, taking the opinions of the poor into account and continuing the fight against corruption.

 

Pope Benedict XVI has made public an exchange of correspondence with Mrs Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, in which he reiterates the Church’s priorities regarding the fight against poverty around the world. He wrote that “achieving the goal of eradicating extreme poverty by the year 2015 is one of the most important tasks in today’s world”.

There is a postcard in your folders, which is an appeal to support this process. If you so wish, please sign it and hand it on leaving the session.

 

 

This first week of June also marks the 40th anniversary of the Six-Day War and the start of the occupation in Palestine. At Easter in 2007, Msgr Michel Sabbah, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem said: “The issue is simple, as is the answer to resolve it. Two peoples are at war with each other, and one of them occupies the house of the other. The solution would be for each one to occupy his own house, the Israelis their house and the Palestinians theirs.”

 

***

 

I wish all of you – Caritas actors – an excellent week’s work, as a Caritas Internationalis General Assembly is a time for democracy, reflection, prayers and exchanges resulting in decisions for the next four years.

In the words of the prayer that was specially prepared for this Assembly, our gathering is “a privileged forum for reading the signs of the times and turning the challenges of our mission into concrete actions that will bring the good news to the poor.”

 

 

Thank you to all those who have organised this week and its content.

A special thank you is also due to those participants who have travelled a long way to come to Rome.

Thanks to all of you who have been obliged to organise your professional and family commitments to be here.

May you all have a good week of fruitful work and friendly encounters.